Savoury Cheese Shortbread

By Emily Leary. Final up to date Could 4, 2025. Inexperienced hyperlinks are Amazon hyperlinks. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

These savoury cheese shortbread biscuits are crisp, buttery, and stuffed with wealthy, Parmesan flavour with only a trace of warmth from black pepper.

They’re extremely easy to make and work splendidly as a nibble with drinks, on a cheeseboard, or as a snack alongside soup or salad.

The dough comes collectively very similar to a basic shortbread, utilizing simply flour and chilly butter to create a fragile, crumbly texture.

The trick is to deal with the dough as little as attainable – rub the butter in till it resembles superb breadcrumbs, then add simply sufficient water to carry it collectively with out overworking.

Finely grated Parmesan provides savoury depth and a refined saltiness, whereas black pepper lifts the flavour with a delicate kick.

You may simply tweak the recipe with completely different arduous cheeses—mature cheddar or a tough goat’s cheese each work nicely, or add extras like chopped rosemary, mustard powder, or perhaps a pinch of smoked paprika.

Rolling the dough right into a log earlier than chilling helps make the biscuits simple to slice into neat, uniform rounds.

Pricking each with a fork helps them bake evenly and prevents them from puffing up.

As soon as baked, these cheese shortbread biscuits are crisp and golden with a young, crisp chew.

They’ll agency up additional as they cool, so don’t fear in the event that they really feel a bit mushy straight out of the oven.

These biscuits hold nicely in an hermetic tin for a number of days and make glorious do-it-yourself presents, particularly when bundled up with a bit jar of chutney or a wedge of excellent cheese.

I might undoubtedly suggest making these shortbreads for those who’re internet hosting friends or simply fancy a little bit of a savoury snack – they’re extremely addictive!

Learn on for the complete recipe with detailed directions and a useful {photograph} for each step. And in case you have any questions, simply go away me a remark. Get pleasure from!

Directions

Put the flour and chilly, cubed butter in a bowl.

Rub collectively till you may have a good crumb.

Stir within the cheese and pepper.

Add 1 tbsp of chilly water and lower by way of with a cutlery knife. Give a bit little bit of the combination a squeeze. If it comes collectively, it’s prepared. If it’s dry and sandy, lower in as much as one other 1 tbsp water.

Collect up the items and knead collectively solely as a lot because it takes to get a easy ball of dough.

Roll the dough right into a cylinder with a size of 24cm (9.5 inches) and a diameter of 4cm (1.5 inches).

Wrap in greaseproof paper or plastic wrap and place within the fridge to relaxation and chill for quarter-hour.

You should utilize a kitchen roll tube to assist the dough hold its form, for those who like.

Whereas the dough chills, preheat the oven to 170C (150C fan / 340F).

Slice the dough into 1cm (½ inch) cookies.

Place them on a lined baking tray.

Prick each a couple of instances with a fork.

Bake for 20-25 minutes till they’ve taken on only a golden color.

Permit to chill for five minutes. Switch to a wire rack to chill fully.

As soon as you have given my recipe a go, I might love you to return again and go away a remark letting me know the way yours turned out.

I might like to see your movies and pics, too! Simply tag me on social media. I am @emilylearycooks on Twitter and TikTok or @amummytoo on Instagram.

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